Monday, May 24, 2010

Insanity

So in a couple of weeks we (the four of us in all of our glory) are going to Ireland for my nephew's Big Fat Irish Wedding.

Two recent things that I have seen/witnessed create a tight metaphor for our plan to do this:
1. During the half marathon that Cousin and I ran a few weeks ago, there was a sign at about mile 9 that read "This seemed like a good idea three months ago!"
and
2. For any of you who watch Modern Family, you'll remember the line on a recent episode in which Claire responded to a question about how great their family vacation to Hawaii was going to be: "I'm a mother of three" she said "This is a BUSINESS TRIP!"

Of course, I'm excited to go to Ireland, to see the wedding, to have a family vacation, blah blah blah.

But I can't wrap my head around getting the four of us across that ocean.

Particularly Big.

So we're stocking up on small snacks, books, toys, things to do. We're talking about it. We're considering medication.

I kid.

Anyway, all tips, thoughts, ideas, recommendations are really, really welcome.

Oh, and insanity act number 2? I just signed up for a second half marathon.

When?

Two days before Ireland.

3 comments:

Catherine said...

Oh it's totally a "trip" and not a "vacation" but it's still Ireland.

MagnaDoodle or Etch-a-Sketch or both. FOR SURE. And while some kids can entertain themselves with markers and paper forever, mine needed something CONCRETE to be doing with the marker. So I discovered maze books. He could sit for hours (HOURS!!!) just doing the mazes in these activity books, over and over and over, in different colors, just trying different paths for fun... Admittedly, our kids are a bit different with their, uh, energy output :) but it's worth a shot. (There are a couple at Joann's in Yorktown.) Have a great time!!!

Mwa said...

My life savers are lollipops. I pull one out every time I think I cannot take any more of this. I think a transatlantic plane ride would require at least ten per child.

Melissa Q-M said...

-May be a good time to teach him a few simple card games.
-Familiarize yourself with a handful of games like I-Spy and pull them out whenever you need. (Can include coming up with lots of rhymes for a word, taking turns tapping out rhythms for each other to repeat etc.)
-I'm not a big fan of kids watching much tv at all, but sometimes sanity trumps. Portable DVD player (or computer) w/ headphones and some carefully chosen selections from the library.
-And while coloring books often leave little room for creativity, remember again how important sanity will be.
-Remember, if you are asking your kids to do something that's more than they can reasonably be expected to do (like sitting calmly on a plane for many hours), small rewards can go a long way.
Good luck and have tons of fun!